1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a delivery system of a macro (IP: Intellectual Property) that is a functional block reusable for a system LSI or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the design of the system LSI, a reusable macro (IP macro) has been already developed, but, when information indicating that the development is completed is not opened or when the delivery method (acquisition method) of the macro is not established, the development of the same macro is to be done all over again in one's own company or in one's own department. Accordingly, there is a problem in that the manufacturing cost of the product may be increased or the delivery date of the product may be prolonged. For this reason, a system that can enhance the design efficiency of the system LSI and can administrate the macro that is represented by a macro search system or the like has been developed (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2003-44520 and 2004-46361).
By the way, in order to efficiently deliver the macro to a macro demander (for example, a designer of the system LSI), when the macro demander demands or acquires the macro, it is important that a process technology (an LSI design rule of 0.18 μm, 0.25 μm, or the like (minimum line width)) and a kind of macro data for constituting the macro (netlist, cell library, simulation data, or the like) can be assigned. In the conventional system, when the macro demander demands or acquires the macro, the process technology and the kind of the macro data cannot be assigned. Accordingly, the macro cannot be efficiently delivered to the macro demander, and thus the design efficiency of the system LSI is degraded.